Gov. Tony Evers announces expanded access to contraception in State of the State speech

MADISON - Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday he is expanding access to contraception as part of a plan to bolster health care services for women in Wisconsin.

In his sixth State of the State address, Evers said he would direct the state Department of Health Services to make available contraception and emergency contraception for those using BadgerCare Plus health insurance by allowing women to obtain such medication without a prescription from a doctor and at no out-of-pocket cost.

"Every Wisconsinite should be able to access the health care they need when they need it. And, yes, that includes contraception," Evers said.

He also urged lawmakers to approve a bipartisan bill that would expand postpartum eligibility for Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year.

Evers said Wisconsin needs a more comprehensive plan to support mothers, babies and families, and called on lawmakers to address child care and workforce shortages, dubbing 2024 "the year of the worker in Wisconsin."

“I will never expect Republicans and Democrats in this building to agree with each other — or me, for that matter — on the merits of every policy 100% of the time. That’s democracy. But there is no excuse for not being willing to work together on what everyone agrees is the most pressing issue facing our state," Evers said.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, dismissed most of Evers' remarks as "typical Tony Evers, not a lot of new ideas, a lot of rehashing of old things that have been proposed over the course of the past few years and failed."

Vos said his biggest disappointment was that, with a record projected budget surplus, Evers did not mention any potential tax relief. Hours earlier, legislative Republicans introduced a $2.1 billion tax package that would significantly expand the state's second-lowest tax bracket to include more than 1 million Wisconsin residents earning between $19,000 and $150,000 per year.

GOP leaders announced that they would be releasing four bills that would overhaul the state's tax system by also exempting up to $75,000 of retirees' income and expanding tax credits for married filers and for filers with children.

Evers, in his address, announced several new initiatives designed to “retain, attract and train talented workers” including a task force to address health care workforce challenges and a new office focused on recruiting and retaining state employees.

Evers also shared plans to launch the state’s first teacher apprenticeship pilot program, with the goals of encouraging more young people to go into the profession and reducing turnover. According to a 2023 Wisconsin Policy Forum report, the average annual teacher turnover rate from 2009 to 2023 was 11.5%, reaching 15.8%in the 2022-23 school year

While calling on Republicans to work with him on passing a comprehensive workforce plan the governor also pledged to “continue to pursue every pathway and seek every avenue to address our workforce challenges without legislative action.”

The Democratic governor also listed three priorities he views as key to addressing the state's workforce issues: finding long-term solutions to address the impending child care crisis, expanding paid family leave and boosting funding for public education at every level.

"Wisconsin faces a looming child care crisis — costs to working families are skyrocketing, we don’t have enough child care providers, and the providers we have are struggling to keep the lights on. And the effects are intuitive — if a kid no longer has child care or a parent can’t afford it, someone’s going to have to stay home with them," Evers said. "Folks, lack of accessible, affordable child care is a statewide workforce issue."

Evers and the Republican-led Legislature have been at loggerheads for months over how to address the state's child care and workforce issues, with Republicans scrapping Evers' $1 billion plan that included funding for child care programs, expanded paid family leave and more money for higher education. Evers then rejected Republicans' counter-proposal, which would have cut income taxes, expanded tax credits for families with children and added requirements to unemployment insurance programs.

Both proposals leaned on the state's projected $4 billion budget surplus.

Vos said the governor's speech didn't contain any initiatives he was automatically opposed to, but "it was mostly task forces and working groups of public employees."

"That's great. But that's not what Wisconsin needs right now. We actually need innovative ideas that bring more people into the workforce," Vos said, arguing that the way to keep people in Wisconsin is to make it more affordable to live in the state and allow people to keep more of what they earn.

In his speech, Evers also touted his administration's work on expanding affordable housing, boosting agricultural exports and repairing roads, along with applauding the recent announcement that Minnesota and Wisconsin secured $1 billion in federal funding to help replace the 60-year-old Blatnik Bridge in Superior.

“This past year has shown there’s much we can accomplish when we work together," Evers said, pointing to bipartisan achievements from the last year including historic shared revenue legislation and a deal to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee through at least 2050.

Evers also reiterated his pledge to veto any legislation that would reduce access to abortions in the state, a not-so-veiled threat to Republican lawmakers who are proposing to ban doctors from providing abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy.

"Folks, Wisconsinites have been abundantly clear (on abortion). As another example, Republicans’ last candidate for governor wanted to take those same freedoms — and more — away. You’ll notice he’s not here delivering the State of the State address tonight," Evers said, referring to former Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels who initially said he did not support allowing women to obtain abortions for pregnancies resulting from incest and rape. He later changed his mind as he faced criticism for the position.

Evers also announced the state is moving forward with purchasing conservation easements on over 50,000 acres of land, known as the Pelican River Forest.

“Conserving and protecting our natural resources and land continues to be a top priority for my administration. I’m also excited to announce tonight I’m approving the largest forest conservation effort in state history," he said. "In partnership with the Biden Administration and the Conservation Fund, we’ve approved the conservation easement for the Pelican River Forest’s remaining acres to protect the forest for generations of future Wisconsinites to use and enjoy."

The Pelican River Forest is bisected by Highway 8 east of Rhinelander and straddles the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds, with water draining in two different directions. It features tracts of upland and wetland forests as well as dozens of lakes and nearly 70 miles of streams, including portions of the Wolf and Pelican rivers.

An objection was made by the Finance Committee anonymously, but was later attributed to Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, putting the project at risk. But with a number of federal grants, in addition to funding from the state, the Department of Natural Resources is going to move forward with the easement purchase, completing one of the largest conservation efforts in state history.

Following his declaration last year to put a heightened focus on mental health issues throughout the state, Evers announced plans to create an Interagency Council on Mental Health charged with connecting state agencies’ efforts to reduce barriers and address gaps in services.

The council will develop a statewide plan to address root causes of the crisis, reduce stigma and find ways to expand access to services.

Evers noted that, according to a report from the Office of Children’s Mental Health, 1 in 6 children experienced a serious episode of depression last year — up from one in seven. At particular risk are teen girls, children of color and LGBTQ youth.

“As governor and as a grandfather, my concerns have not changed, and my fears have not waned. Much work remains,” Evers said, pledging to tackle the issue with a “whole-of-government approach.”

Evers also called on Republicans to release the $125 million in funding he approved in the budget last year, slamming their inaction on PFAS following the announcement of the funding.

"I signed the budget last July. Today is January 23rd. It’s been over 200 days, and Republicans have not released one cent of that investment. A $125 million investment to fight PFAS statewide is sitting in Madison because Republicans refuse to release it. That’s breathtaking," he said. “Republicans, please release this funding so we can get it out to the families, child care facilities, schools, businesses, and communities across our state who need it.”

Last year, Republicans created a $125 million PFAS "trust fund," intended to help cover the cost of testing, remediation and studying the chemicals further. But the funding didn't come with guidelines on how it would be spent, so legislation had to be introduced. The PFAS bill has been the source of contention, over limitations on the Department of Natural Resources and how money would be allocated.

The Senate has so far approved the bill, but the Assembly has yet to approve the bill with only two months left in the session this year.

The governor also said he'll soon announce steps for his administration to take "to help ensure every eligible Wisconsinite has the opportunity to participate in the most precious and fundamental function of our democracy — the right to vote."

Evers said he has "never been more hopeful that when Wisconsinites head to the ballot box later this year, they will be voting under legislative maps that are fair, responsive, and finally reflect the will of the people of this state."

That declaration comes about a week before two consultants are set to submit a report analyzing several map proposals submitted as part of a redistricting case before the state Supreme Court, which declared the current legislative maps unconstitutional. The court said it is prepared to draw maps if Evers and the Republican-led Legislature cannot reach an agreement.

Laura Schulte of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Molly Beck and Jessie Opoien can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com and jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tony Evers State of the State includes emergency contraception access